‘WOMEN’S CANCER SURVIVORSHIP’ PROGRAMME AT CORK UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

3 Feb 2020

FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST AND GYNAECOLOGICAL CANCERS

NEW WOMEN’S HEALTH INITIATIVE 

With Support from the

ECASP Research Group at UCC

For survivors of cancer, the pathway for managing and overcoming the often challenging symptoms arising from their initial treatment can be unclear. A ground-breaking new initiative by the Irish Cancer Society aims to address a long-standing gap in the identification and management of symptoms for women which have resulted from their courses of treatment.

This wide range of symptoms can include anything from fatigue, incontinence, lymphoedema, and severe psychological distress to other difficulties such as significant intimacy problems, infertility and rapid premature menopause.

The Women’s Health Initiative aims to improve health and wellbeing for women cancer survivors at all stages of their journey through the establishment of pilot clinics to be based in Cork and Dublin.

Funding support of €400,000 from the Irish Cancer Society has been the catalyst for a total investment of €890,000 over two years by a consortium also involving the HSE, The Mater Private Hospital, the National Cancer Control Programme, Breakthrough Cancer Research, the National Maternity Hospital Foundation and Pfizer Ireland.

As part of the initiative, the ‘Women’s Cancer Survivorship: Supporting and Innovating for Change’ programme led by Medical Oncologist UCC Professor Roisin Connolly at Cork University Hospital and the ‘Life After Cancer Clinic’ (LACC) led by UCD Professor of Gynae-Oncology Donal Brennan at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital will provide the first dedicated clinics for female cancer survivors nationwide.

Both programmes will coordinate the delivery of a range of general and specialist health supports for female cancer survivors while also using latest technology to make the services more widely accessible for women regardless of their location.

Cork pilot

Developed in collaboration with researchers from the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Johns Hopkins in the US, and supported by Prof Josephine Hegarty and the ECASP Group from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC the ‘Women’s Cancer Survivorship’ programme will work with women at Cork University Hospital and regional hospitals who have completed their primary cancer therapy.

Using symptom management pathways developed as part of the programme, those using the new Survivorship Clinic will receive a Survivorship Plan and education on the management of important symptoms, and will be needs-assessed for referrals to appropriate specialists.

Dublin pilot

Based at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, the ‘Life After Cancer Clinic’ (LACC) is a nurse-led pilot that will initially focus on breast and gynaecological cancer survivors. Developed in consultation with Prof Martha Hickey of the University of Melbourne, it will see over 250 women issued with a survivorship passport which includes a written treatment plan for their cancer as well as guidance on physical activity and information on diet and stopping smoking.

Women will be able to remotely complete an online assessment through the LACC app developed as part of the programme, which will assess their needs and refer them to information and local services as needed. The service will be accessible through a number of straightforward routes, with a second clinic also opening at St Vincent’s University Hospital supported by the National Maternity Hospital within the two-year pilot.

Improving survivors’ quality of life

Over the course of the two-year pilot phase the Women’s Health Initiative will be monitored for effectiveness and potential improvements based on patient experiences and outcomes.

By focussing on this vital yet undervalued aspect of patient treatment pathways the Women’s Health Initiative aims to ultimately decrease the frequency and burden of symptoms, helping to empower women to manage their side effects and bringing about improvements in health-related quality of life as a result of evidence-based treatments.

Furthermore, it will provide specialised training and development for a range of medical and support staff based at various programme pilot sites across Cork and Dublin, who will benefit from knowledge-sharing with leading global experts in the area of cancer survivorship.

The Women’s Health Initiative is supported by the National Cancer Control Programme as part of the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026.

ECASP details: https://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/research/enhancingcancerawarenesssurvivorshipprogrammesecasp/

Support

Women who require support for their cancer diagnosis and resultant symptoms can contact the Irish Cancer Society Nurseline on Freephone 1800 200 700, via email at cancernurseline@irishcancer.ie, or their oncologist or GP.